Withered Away
by AngelONight
Summary: They shouldn't be back. Leave the Senshi in peace, it hurts too much to remember.


**This is an old one-shot that I wrote a while back and posted on sm_monthly on livejournal. I particularly liked this one and have been thinking of continuing it, so if you guys are interested, give me a shout out and I'll try my best! **

**I've become fascinated with the Senshi/Shitennou romance, so look out for some more one-shots!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or pretty much anything.**

**Enjoy!  
**

**

* * *

**

**Withered Away  
**

The blue eyes met hers- but they weren't blue anymore. They were washed out, dulled as if the light that shone out of his soul through his eyes had been turned off. The eyes looked down and away from her, having barely held her stare for longer than two seconds. But those two seconds were more than enough to stop her heart still in her chest.

He stood, half hidden behind Kunzite, but even Kunzite's bulky frame did nothing to hide him from her. She could see the death in his eyes, the sadness in his soul and the guilt on his heart.

"W-what is this?" Rei heard Makoto whisper brokenly, and even though the whisper was softer than anything she had ever heard before, it carried around the silent room. Usagi, who stood beside Mamoru, sighed softly before stepping forward.

"It was me," she said quietly, "I brought them back." Her angelic face was pulled into a frown, as if suddenly unsure of what she had done. Mamoru held her hand comfortingly and silently.

She felt rather than heard the growl that came through her lips. Heads whipped to hers, but the blue eyes did not meet hers again- his head remained down. "How dare you make this decision?" she hissed at Usagi, who suddenly looked more vulnerable than Rei had ever seen her. But Rei didn't care. All she could feel was pain.

More pain than she had ever felt before. It ripped across her chest, and through her body like a hot iron- it was more than when she had broken her leg, lived through torturous bruises and aches and pains, more than when she had _died_.

"I-I…" Usagi whispered and her blue eyes filled with tears, and she was unable to continue as she choked back her sobs. Mamoru looked from Usagi to her, his eyes filled with irritation. She knew he would defend Usagi, ever the protective knight in shining armor- except when it mattered most. She was beyond caring that he was her Prince and Usagi was her Princess.

Someone had to pay.

"Leave her out of this, Rei. She was only trying to help-"

"Help?" she scoffed, cutting him off completely. Her voice shook from the amount of pain in her, but she went on, disregarding all the eyes on her- even the now blue eyes looking at her. "You all thought this would help?" The disbelief in her voice was almost palpable and she saw Makoto nodding at her words through the corner of her eyes. "What gave you the _right_ to do this?"

"The right was ours!" Mamoru said, rage now boiling in his eyes. The azure eyes sharpened on hers alone. He always had hated it when someone blamed him for something- but honestly, she knew it had been his idea. His nudging that had made Usagi want to bring them back. "We are the King and Queen-"

"So, you think you have _power_ over _us_?" Rei hissed at him. She swerved her head to look at the other girls who stood beside her. Ami's head was bent down, her shoulders visibly shaking, but the sobs completely and utterly silent. Makoto was right beside her, her eyes glaring sharply at the men who stood in front of them. Minako, however, stood silently, her left leg forward as if ready to run in front of Usagi, who was now crying softly. She was in complete defensive position, her eyes darting from one Shitennou to the other.

Mamoru stood beside Usagi off to the side, now struck dumb by her words. His mouth opened wordlessly and closed again- and silence once again filled the room, save for the soft sobs of Usagi.

She defiantly kept her eyes on Mamoru, waiting for his answer- or so she ordered herself to keep from looking into the sapphire eyes. Mamoru looked away from her, looking towards the four men on his other side. "They deserved a second chance- your loves deserved-"

"I swear on Selene, if you say our love deserved a second chance, I will castrate you where you stand, Mamoru," she breathed furiously. She couldn't think from all of the fury and pain that surrounded her, but somehow she got the words out shakily.

Mamoru, however, didn't stop his words. "You _do_ deserve a second chance. All of you. It wasn't right, what happened. Your love will get through it." He didn't look at her, his body rigid as if afraid to see her reaction.

"And how did you make that decision?" she spat, stepping closer to him. There was a shift in front of her and she turned her glare on Kunzite and Jadeite, both of whom had taken a step towards Mamoru- to _protect_ him.

She stopped, her eyes meeting sapphire. The rage just filtered out of her, almost like someone had stabbed her in the heart and instead of blood, the anger dripped out.

Suddenly, it was Makoto taking her place at voicing her thoughts. "You're _protecting_ him?" she spat at the Shitennou, who looked like deer caught in headlights- except for Kunzite who stared stoically back at Makoto. "After _everything_ you've done to him- to _us_- you're _protecting_ him? Do you know who was there- protecting _him_ for the last five fucking years?" She glared at the men, waiting for an answer, and when none came she continued, her voice going higher than before. "We did! We were there when you turned on us! We were there when you wanted to _kill_ him! We were there when he _needed_ us! And _now_, you're protecting him!?"

"Makoto," Mamoru said calmly, finally finding his voice again- but he avoided Rei's eyes, "They know that. They know they're not going to find their places here easily, they _are_ willing to work for it."

Makoto's body went rigid, and Rei could feel the pain and fury coming off of her almost like heat. She wished it would fuel hers- but it did nothing of the sorts. It only sent spasms of pain running through her like blood. "_Work for it?_" Makoto whispered so quietly, so furiously that it sent shivers through Rei, "They're willing to _work_ for it?"

"We are-" a soft voice broke through the silence, and Rei turned to look at Nephrite. But he didn't get the chance to say another word before Makoto strode up to him and slapped him so hard that the sound rung around the room.

"You _shut_ your mouth!" Makoto hissed and she turned around, her eyes meeting Rei's for a split second as she walked by. The green eyes were tearing, the pain within them causing her body to shake. The door slammed shut behind her and then silence was in the room again.

Rei's eyes met the sapphire again, and pain shone through them as well. She reveled in their beauty for a second before she realized what was wrong with that. She realized that they weren't truly dulled- they shone as brightly as they always had.

It was hers that had dulled- they cast everything else in a light less than they once had. Like Jadeite's eyes.

"We're sorry…" she heard his whisper, and it caressed her, making her heart spasm again. Feeling filled it; more than she had ever felt- and her body shook violently. "_We're so sorry_."

It was her heart that had withered away- not anything else. All she could feel was pain, sadness and anger. It was all she could see.

And it was the last thing she felt and saw in his eyes before everything else went black and she fell to the floor in a sobbing heap.


End file.
